Fabula Nova Crystalis
by aimsknight06
Summary: Noctis and Luna were on their way to eternal peace ... when the vengeful deity ruins their voyage to the Afterlife. Separated again, they will have to traverse the worlds of the Fabula Universe to find each other again and stop the menace. Includes Type-0 but crossover only allows two categories max for some reason
1. Chapter 1

The mischievous little Astral Carbuncle was practically bounding with limitless energy up and down the stairs, strewing the sylleblossom petals all over the steps. He was careful, however, not to obstruct the path of the groom and bride. Regis looks on proudly, Clarus and Nyx beside him. Jared Hester is there, along with the many who lost their lives to the Niflheim Empire. Lady Sylvia, across the aisle to the king, hooks her arm around Ravus' elbow and smiles at the approaching bride and groom. Ravus remains stoic, but there is a trace of a smiling dancing on his lips. The light had returned, showering the throne room with soft rays. All signs of the Starscourge were nowhere to be seen for the moment, at least.

Noctis, newly crowned, leads Lunafreya past the tapestry woven in his honor and up the steps to his throne. Applause erupts when he sits, Luna beside him. He takes out a photo, the last memorabilia from Prompto of their travels, and hands it to Luna.

She smiles at the group photo. She was smiling at Noctis smiling. Nothing else in that photo particularly spoke to her. In fact, she was a bit saddened by all the time they lost, being apart. Would the afterlife be able to make up for that?

Noctis takes off his gloves and runs his finger along his bride's face. She turns to him, placing the photo facedown, and smiles. It couldn't be any other way. The Oracle would stay by the king's side, even if she wasn't his betrothed. Pure faith and stupidity, child-like whimsy, really, had bought them together where reality tore them apart. Now, they could be at peace together … forever.

The two share a brief kiss. It was only so small. One would feel they sacrificed too much just for this little token. The ghosts disappear, at peace. Noctis and Luna begin to feel drowsy, as if they hadn't slept in years.

Luna rests her head atop her arms next to Noctis, who sleeps with his head propped up on his arm. Insomnia, finally asleep … finally the Chosen One is at peace, the Accursed vanquished … All the Kings and martyrs look on as the newlyweds fade away.

Pity they didn't notice the trace of night run after them.

…

At the gates of the Unseen Realm, there stood a tall door, one of the likes would encompass all the sky back in Eos. It's an intricate door, one emblazoned with gold and obsidian upon hinges of mythril. The metalwork masterfully weaves tales and prophecies of battles in far-flung with humanity and beasts and gods. Atop the arch of the door is the old ikon, one seen constantly from back in Noctis' palace, usually standing before the tall fish tank. Etro, with her hair splayed open and a hole in her abdomen, a depiction of her lovely corpse, watches now over the passage of souls to the beyond, to the Chaos. The Six, three on each side of the gate, look down upon two of the newest arrivals to which they were to receive: Noctis and Lunafreya.

Noctis and Luna look up to five of the six Astral with amity, having made their peace. All but Ifrit, the Infernian and Betrayer, nod back. Gentiana, or Shiva, the Glacean, gives a small smile to her former summoner. The newly married approach the grand gates and clasp each other's hands in baited breath as the doors to the afterlife groan to open.

A loud thud. The gates close. Suddenly, the ikon atop the gate glows and even the Six are all aflutter.

"What's going on?" Noctis asks firmly.

A voice echoes from the glowing ikon, "You cannot pass, Noctis Lucis Caelum."

"...What?"

"You bring with you the darkness. Mwyn tasked me with giving souls eternal rest. You shall not disturb them!"

The judgment rings loud and thunderous, as though final. Bahamut, armor clanking, steps up.

"O' Goddess, there must be some mistake. The darkness is no more. He is the Chosen One. He vanquished the Accursed…"

"And what of it? The Accursed arose from the line of these kings. Do you doubt my eyes, Bahamut, which see every seed of dark and light?"

Ifrit sneers to the side, "Kings … They're all bad eggs, really, aren't they?"

"Silence! Or you can die another pitiful death by my hand this time!" Ramuh lashes venomously at the contemptuous Wicked One, "It was all your doing from the start, do you not remember?"

"Hey, _I_ didn't make the Usurper!"

"But you made the Starscourge-"

"Quiet!" Bahamut silences the two quickly, "Do not quibble before the Goddess!"

"Noctis is the True King! Not like Ardyn!" Luna steps up, her voice stern as when she struck Leviathan with Holy. She looks up to the ikon, her eyes full of conviction, "There lies no darkness in his heart!"

"…" Etro's voice is silent for a second, as though preparing for a grand revelation, "Then what is that?"

Everyone turns to Noctis. Luna gasps in horror, her eyes straying past him. Noctis slowly turns around.

A shadow. A sliver dark as night. It wafts around a little, as though uncertain. One could just barely perceive its eyes and mouth, being so wispy. Nonetheless, it emits the aura Ardyn did. Its tail is attached to the foot of Noctis' spine. His eyes widen and a scowl forms on his lips.

"What are you…" He slashes at it with his hand, "Doing here?!"

It disappears, a barely noticeable grin formed. Luna turns in alarm to the sound of the Astral drawing their weapons. She quickly moves to defend Noctis.

"It seems our own eyes were weary," Ramuh laments, "He is unclean, as Ardyn was."

"What?" Luna's voice is but a whisper. She turns her head a little to look at Noctis. He looks back at her, his eyes pleading. "No… NO!"

"Please, after you, dear," Ifrit mockingly bows and gestures for her to enter the gate, "Take care not to hit your head-"

"NO!" Noctis, his father's glaive in hand, rushes past the Six and swings upon the doors savagely, "I-It was over! IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE OVER!"

"Noctis, stop!" Luna is stopped in her tracks as Shiva jumps in her way. Her breath catches in her throat when she sees her beloved's eyes glow slightly fiery, like a daemon's. As he hammers away at the door in futility, darkness seems to envelope him, making him take on a more ominous form. His cries become more rushed and hostile.

"REST IN PEACE! REST IN PEACE … YOU SONOVABITCH!"

"Oh-hoho," Ifrit summons a nimbus of flames to his hands, "I'm gonna enjoy this…!"

"Ifrit, no!" Bahamut moves to intercept him. The fire slips past his sword.

Noctis looks to the incoming flame for a second before it impacts. It mostly hits the door, due to its size. An explosion like a solar flare erupts and Bahamut curses.

"You idiot! Don't simply do as you please!"

The Infernian simply doubles over laughing, "Alright, alright, he's ash now. Now, Lunafr- AUGH!"

His sentence is cut short by the Oracle's trident thrown into his neck. Shiva gasps a little when the Infernian falls. The Archean points a finger and growls at the smoldering patch at the foot of the gate where the weapon flew from.

As the smoke clears, Luna glimpses Noctis. His clothes are largely charred; his shirt is completely gone. There are bloody burns and smears of ash all over his body, but he doesn't seem to notice. He glowers around him, his pupils alight like fire. An aura, unmistakably tinged with darkness, wraps around him, flowing fluidly.

"What…"

The demonic Noctis grins and turns his back to them. He grips the edges of the gates and braces hard. A loud groan is heard as the gates actually begin to bend to his will. Billowing gusts from just the small crack blow past them all, and the cries of souls are heard.

"No! The darkness musn't enter!" Etro's voice is frantic, "Stop him!"

"It seems we … cannot move…" Ramuh strains to even lift a finger, "It's the Chaos, your holiness!"

"Noctis!" Luna cries out. She breaks from Shiva and runs like mad towards the king. On her third step, a familiar vision, accompanied with Regis' voice, bubbles to her mind. Noctis, the fiery demon, stabbing her with the trident … _May the gods forgive me…_

She snaps back to reality, where a crevice, still too small for either of them to fit through has opened. Her legs suddenly fail her and freeze on the spot. She can only stare in horror as Noctis turns, half his face a daemon skeleton, like Ardyn's. Amid the roar of souls, he speaks in a deep, throaty voice, unlike Noctis in all forms.

" _Thank you for the audience."_

A dark shadow suddenly slips out behind Noctis and he collapses. It disappears into the crack to the beyond. Luna regains control of her body and runs to Noctis, cradling his head in her arms. The Archean manages to slam the door closed with a well-aimed rock. The gusts stop and the flow of Chaos is stemmed. The Six stagger a little, bewildered.

"What … What just …"

"You fools!" Etro's shrill voice is a panicked scream now, "What's the point of even closing it now! It got in!"

"Surely one shred of darkness won't do so much harm-"

"No … it's found him. His corpse…"

" _Bhunivelze."_

Once the name falls off the Goddess' lips, a loud, hallowed and haunting laughter from beyond the gate arises, its volume shaking the very fibers of being.

There is a fierce pounding against the gate for maybe a second, then suddenly a fist breaks through, shattering the metal. The fist retreats and two clawed hands grapple at the hole, prying the door open from within. A painted face, wreathed in magnificent wings and horns of gold and ivory, and a crowned crest burst through the gate. Bhunivelze, God of Light resurrected, contorts his face into a dreadful smile and howls a single victorious note. The Six suddenly burst into smoke. Etro's ikon shatters and all Chaos is bursting from the now-opened gate.

Luna clutches Noctis feebly, bracing against the Chaos winds. She looks up to see the black sludge of daemons rolling down the deity's face and chin. From his wings and broken crown emit that darkness that left demonic Noctis. It has now taken a much stronger body. The God speaks, his voice high above the scream of terrified souls.

" _I … AM REBORN!"_ The black sclera suddenly turn down to gaze upon the newlyweds with scorn, " _And I will finish what I started."_

The Double Deity appears, summoned to his aid. Its golden appearance has tarnished, but it still exudes the aura of Bhunivelze's two sons trapped within, Pulse and Lindzei. He rears, weapon in hand, ready to snuff out the small existences before him. Luna grimaces just as he brings the Lindzei end down, bracing for impact and imminent doom.

There is a loud sound of deflection as the Double Deity clashes briefly with the Chaos' Revenge, making sparks fly. Luna dares to open her eyes to glimpse a lone warrior, slender and muscular, clad in form-fitting purple armor, with long purple hair streaming along his back. A strange text of old, known to the servers of the Gods only, is inscribed on the armor which Luna understood as "Undying Witness to Infinite Fate." The mocking voice of Paddra Ballad-Caius draws her attention.

"I see you are an Oracle as well?"

"… Who are you?" The question rasps in her throat. This man certainly exudes formidable power, but it pales greatly in comparison to the God with which they are facing.

"That's no matter. I'm no match for Bhunivelze," He peers at her briefly from the corner of his eye and readies his blade, "You must escape. Yeul."

He pounces to meet the God's incoming strike. Luna feels a hand on her shoulder. She looks in surprise to a pretty, petite girl with blue hair pinned up in a diadem headdress. Her green eyes glimmered above the semi-transparent veil over half her face. Behind her was a myriad of other that look near identical to her, but with miniscule differences in dress.

"Come if you wish to live." They all spoke as though one, in unison with the same voice.

Luna gapes at them momentarily, uncomprehending. She looks back to the warring Caius, slowly being pushed back by the might of the great God.

"Quickly, Caius cannot stall forever!"

Luna, exasperated, struggles to stand with the unconscious Noctis in her arms. Some Yeuls assist in carrying him. At the younger oracle's command, a large series of rings materialize and form the Historia Crux portal.

"Through here!"

Luna had barely stepped a toe into the crossroads of Time Gates before a huge explosion by the mouth of the Crux blows away her balance. It incinerates several of the Yeuls by the entrance that were helping unload Noctis. The queen can only grasp helplessly onto Noctis and tumble through the Crux. A subsequent Hypernova explodes before they are fully enclosed in the Crux and its explosive waves ripple, tearing several of the rings to rubble. The impact blows Noctis from Luna's arms. She manages to grab onto his right hand, but the overwhelming force threatens to pull them apart.

"No … Noctis!" She would never separate from him again. They were supposed to have a new life together! Why?! "NOCTIS!"

Her cry makes him momentarily lucid. He groans a little and stirs, but too late. The first conscious sensation he feels is Luna's fingers slipping from his own. His eyes open wide only to see Luna floating further and further away from him. Her mouth is a silent scream; the cries no longer even reach his ears.

"L-LUNAAAA!"

He only grabs empty air. The Crux fluxes and suddenly, the two go warp speeds away from one another. Noctis flails in effort to change direction, but that speck that is Luna disappears from sight, swallowed by the flow of time and space.

Distraught and alone, tears begin rolling down his cheeks. His throat twists into knots. _No … Not again. Not again…! I can't lose you again…!_

Despairing, he feels his aching body loosen. His eyelids grow heavy and he welcomes rest. His body becomes weightless and floats along the Crux, to wherever it may take him. Despair in his dreams, he knows his beloved will not be at his destination.

They were apart again.


	2. Chapter 2

She felt the hard dirt before she saw it, landing on her back. The impact knocks the air out of her. She turns to her side, gasping and coughing. Her white wedding dress, which she'd picked out so carefully, is stained in soot and dirt. Strands of her hair stick out of her careful coiffure. As her breathing calms, tears rise to her eyes. Noctis … Noctis … She'd lost grip of his hand. And now she's probably lost him forever. Her body heaves in heavy sobs.

"Get up."

That familiar voice alerts the despairing oracle to the indifferent form of Yeul standing on higher ground. This Yeul adjusts her headdress and the veil disappears to lets her long hair cascade down her back. She looks to Luna with slightly impassive eyes that were a little too mature for her age.

"We have to find Lightning."

"Wait, what, what about Noctis?" Luna struggles to stand on what appears to be a riverbank, "I don't understand… Please, Yeul-"

"Tch…" Yeul's hand sparks with energy that fizzles, like a malfunctioning electronic, "The Crux has been damaged … We'll need another way of travel…"

"What's going on, what was that?! Where is Noctis?! We have to-"

"You and that king have let loose a power that should never have been unleashed again!" Luna realizes suddenly that the familiar voice is _Etro's,_ and it comes from within Yeul's body, "Bhunivelze and the Accursed will stop at nothing to destroy the Fabula universe!"

"… _What?_ " This was all incomprehensible gibberish to Luna. She could only stare dumbstruck. She hadn't even bothered wondering where they were now.

"Well howdy!"

The two Oracles (one is now apparently part goddess) turn to see a curly, light grey-haired adolescent girl with blue eyes. She wears an ecru long jacket with a pink ruffled ascot over a black vest and khaki green knee-length pants and high-laced boots. The stranger smiles warmly at the two. Yeul steps forward, not returning the smile.

"Good day. Might I inquire … what is this place?"

"Welcome to Nine Wood Hills. I'm Enna Kros," Despite Yeul-Etro's brisk demeanor, Enna still flashes a disarming smile, "Are you two visiting from another world?"

"Yes, though I'm afraid we've lost our way."

"Well, that won't do. Come on," Enna gestures for them to follow her, "You two look like hell. Better wash up and fill me in."

The girl with an enigmatic aura walks into the nearby town with in flippant pace. Luna looks to Yeul-Etro, who follows. She does not dally in doing the same. They wander into a seemingly deserted town. Enna welcomes them into an empty café, where she seats them around a table.

"Alright, Lann? Reynn?" She produces two cubes that seem translucent containing a sphere within from her coat pocket, "Show our guests hospitality please."

She blows a puff of air over them and they glow briefly before suddenly releasing two adolescents, who fall on the floor in a pile. The boy sits up first, rubbing his head, covered in spiky strawberry blond hair, which he shares with the girl. Luna glimpses their similar faces and concludes them to be twins.

"What the honk, Enna?" The boy, presumably Lann, groans, annoyed, as he obediently fetches a hanging apron and dons it, "You can't just keep summoning us out like this…"

"Yeah…" The girl, Reynn, arches backward in an effort to stretch her aching back, "At least give us a warning! Last time you just threw us out against that Omega God. Talk about unpleasant surprises!"

Enna chuckles as Reynn hurries to the bakery across the street, "Sorry about the ruckus. It's been a while since anyone's really been in town."

"… What was that? A summoning?" Luna cannot help but ask.

Enna chuckles, "Well, yes, you can call it that."

Lann places three cups of coffee on the table. He hurries away to fetch the sugar cubes.

Luna opens her mouth to speak, quickly thanking the boy for the drink and then ignoring it, "Thank you, really but we-"

"Ah, ah, ah," Enna cuts her off with a wag of her finger, "Lann, do you have any hot cloths?"

"We're not a five-star restaurant!" The boy grumbles and brings two wet towels and two dry ones, "What happened to you? Your dress looks ripped … and kinda smokey."

Luna looks at where his eyes lie. A bit of the cloth covering her bosom is singed and blackened, probably from the explosion. She blushes lightly and turns away.

Lann looks at her sideways, bemused, "Huh? What? Was it something I sai-"

Enna conks him on the head with the edge of her left hand.

"OW!"

"Don't be rude, little voyeur Lann," Enna smiles.

"But I just-! What is a voyeur anyway?!"

"Is there …" Luna interjects, a slightly vexed expression on her face, "Sorry but is there something I may change into?"

"Well, none of Reynn's clothes will fit, that's for sure…" Lann gets hit on the head again, "GAH!"

"The water closet is just behind the barista's counter," Enna helpfully points to the location, "I think you'll find something fitting in there."

She looks to Yeul-Etro, "Might you need the same?"

Yeul-Etro looks on silently at her drink.

"Thank you …" Luna bows lightly and makes herself scarce, hurrying into the bathroom. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but that Enna girl's aura felt much like an Astral, if not even greater.

To her immense surprise, there hangs _that_ sparkling silvery dress on the wall in the bathroom. She could scarcely suppress a breath of surprise upon opening the door to see that facing her. It was the same dress she wore witnessing the fall of Insomnia with Nyx Ulric.

She slowly closes the door, gazing and re-familiarizing herself with the article. Noctis had never seen her wear it himself. Slowly, she slides out of her wedding dress. As she takes off the half-skirt, then the main skirt with the twin tail lapels, she notices small grazes on her skin. She hadn't felt any pain from the big fight before Etro's door or upon landing. That just reminded her how muddled and distraught she was amid all this.

Taking a breath, she clasps on the black choker and pulls on the two separate sleeves with silver rings. It felt like new, like the day Maria was primping her for her grand exit from Tenebrae to Lucis after years of being jailed by the Empire. She wasn't exactly excited, but she was so hopeful then. Right now, she wished she had the same courage. She clips on the black band across her waist and shifts her legs a bit in her heels. The dress had been adjusted so it didn't wrap so tightly around her thighs. She exits the bathroom, leaving her wedding dress on the hanger.

Enna looks to her as she returns, "Oh, great. It fits."

Luna nods silently in acknowledgement. Who was this girl? How had she gotten this dress? Luna takes her seat beside Yeul, opposite Enna, on the round table. She looks into her dark drink pensively.

"So!" Enna attempts to engage in conversation, "Again, I'm Enna Kros. Who are you weary travelers between worlds?"

Luna remains silent at first, using the towels provided to wipe some stray dirt off her face. Enna smiles, waiting patiently. Yeul-Etro's eyes remain closed as she sips her drink dark, ignoring the girl.

"I'm Lunafreya Nox Fleuret. Please, call me Luna," She also hastily introduces her reluctant companion, "This is Yeul."

"Nice to meet you, Luna. And Yeul …" Enna looks to the recalcitrant Yeul-Etro and winces from the cold shoulder, "… Not much of a chatterbox huh?"

"Enna, excuse my hurry, but…" Luna ignores the drink offered her, "… Where are we exactly? We were thrown here by a large explosion by the Gates of Etro and …"

"… Slow down," Enna sips her drink casually, eyeing Yeul-Etro flatly, "It sounds like you may have crossed worlds. It can be disorienting, so I'll start from the top: This is Nine Wood Hills, a place removed from time, within the Universe of Fantasy. Following so far?"

"How did we get here?" Luna looks to Yeul-Etro, searching her face for an answer that did not present itself, "I came from the world of Eos. Have you heard of it?"

"Hm … It may be outside my current given territory. This universe, you see, is vast. It's essentially a single point of convergence among trillions of trillions of worlds. Your world may be among the googolplex out there."

"… Your territory?"

"Yes," Yeul-Etro puts down her empty mug suddenly and her eyes flash open. She looks to Enna almost accusingly, "Our host is a god after all."

Enna holds her stare, "Well, I guess you can call me god, since I wrote the rules of this world."

"… Are you an Astral?" Luna asks, gazing at the peculiar girl in front of her incredulously.

"Hm? I'm sorry, I'm not sure what you mean," Lann brings a jar of sugar cubes. Enna speaks as she puts cube after cube into her coffee, "But if those are your deities, you can call me that, in a sense. Different worlds host different gods, after all."

"Might you be able to help us then?" Luna looks to her hopefully, "I have to find Noctis. The Accursed still lives, and…"

"Do you know of Lightning?" Yeul-Etro asks suddenly.

"Lightning?" Lann the barista quips, "She's a Champion here. You need to see her?"

"… I assume you do not mean my Champion…" Yeul-Etro mutters in a low voice.

"Huh?" The boy looks at her, confused. His twin returns with a bag of scones. "Hey, Reynn, they're looking for Lightning."

"Really? Well, that's all the way down to the Low Seas, I think. She lives with Snow or something, right?" The girl sets the bag of pastries down on another table, "We can take them, right, Enna?"

Luna looks hard at Yeul-Etro, trying to keep her voice even, "You haven't given me any reason to think Noctis is alright… And you haven't even told me what or who this 'Lightning' is or how this will help our situation…!"

Enna raises her hand and the room is suddenly instilled with an air of calm.

"… If you wish, Reynn and Lann seem to know of who this person is you seek, though I feel you two may be talking about a different Lightning. But first," She flashes her smile, "You should get comfortable."

"Thank you for your hospitality," Luna starts, "But we shan't…"

"Jrush graffah pathri…" Lann speaks through a mouthful of pastry. He swallows, "They oughta keep you full for the road. Enna, we got a Threshold there, right?"

"Oh yeah, that's just by the other side of the tailor's shop! Let's go! Not a lot of chances to stretch these days …" Reynn looks to the Oracles, "Let's go!"

Enna shoves the whole bag of pastry into Luna's arms and hurriedly ushers them out the door. "Have a nice trip!"

"T-Thank you…"

The white-haired girl watches as the four disappear down the road. She looks to the sky, her expression suddenly neutral.

"Something … bigger than the Cogna looms near the edge of the Googolplex …"

…

"Here we go!"

Luna and Yeul-Etro emerge from the gate to face a small village. Small, chibi-like people amble about in their daily lives. The sun is in the midst of setting, bathing the houses with a warm, orange glow.

"… oh my."

Luna looks down. Her body has shrunk to that of the resident's, with a large head and tiny body. The bag of pastries is now balanced miraculously on her head. Yeul-Etro has changed to a similar form.

"Yeah, don't worry about it," Lann smiles. He and Reynn have taken on these funny looking forms as well. "They're all Lilikin here."

"Lilikin …?" With the day's events jumbling about, Luna was really having trouble keeping up. Yeul-Etro seemed taciturn about it all, like it mattered not.

They walk through the town in their new forms, Reynn and Lann leading.

 _So it seems other worlds live much like our own_ , Luna thinks quietly.

"Well, here's the place!"

They stand before a small, simple house. It has two stories and three windows, with the door on the lower right corner of the front face. Yeul-Etro seems very displeased.

"… This isn't Bodhum. There's no way Lightning could be…"

"Reynn? Lann? What're you two doing here?"

Yeul-Etro turns in surprise to that curt voice. Luna looks in the same direction and sees a pink haired chibi, dressed with a white cape and skin-tight black chestpiece. She has an ornate shield on her left arm, and a red sword in her right hand. She looks at the group with stern eyes.

"Lightning! It's been a while!" Reynn smiles, "We bought you guests. They were looking for you."

"Huh?" Lightning looks over the disapproving Yeul-Etro and confused Luna, "Uh, sorry but I don't … Have we met?"

"No," Yeul-Etro's voice is firm, "You are not Lightning. Or at least … not the one we need."

"Wha-? Y'mean there's another Lightning or something?" Lann seems shocked.

"Simply put, yes. She lives outside of this world. Or this universe for that matter, maybe," Yeul-Etro mutters the last part, "The two of us must have crossed into your worlds by mistake through the Crux."

"W-Well, Tama did say something about this world being connected to a Googolplex of other worlds …" Reynn seems to ponder the thought, "We've never left this world though. Enna would have to help with that."

"Aww," Lann sighs, "We're goin' back already?"

Yeul-Etro looks to Lightning, "Tell me, do you know of Pulse? Or Bhunivelze?"

"No, never heard of 'em. Some sort of Cogna?"

Yeul-Etro shakes her head wistfully, "You look like Lightning for the most part. But that is all. We really must be moving."

Luna is a little flustered as they start to leave. She hurriedly bows lightly to Lightning, careful not to drop the pastries and catches up with Yeul-Etro and the others.

"Yeul. Yeul! Uh, Etro!" Luna sighs, exasperated, "Please, tell me what exactly is going on here. Who was that who attacked us before Etro's door? And exactly who is Lightning?!"

"… Bhunivelze was a god, the Creator, who was vanquished once by Lightning, the Savior, and my Champion," Yeul-Etro sounds tired, like she has told of this many a time. Perhaps it was just the Goddess inside, "He has returned, possessed by the Accursed of your world, and he seeks only to conquer and control as he had before, the Divine."

"But … Ardyn was defeated …" Luna could remember the moment clearly, "It was finally over … We were married … and the Astral …"

"You saw yourself. The Astral were no match for Bhunivelze," Yeul-Etro's face turned to slight disgust, "Ardyn was from the same line as Noctis. The same tendency to become demonic lay in him as well."

"But that can't be. Noctis was the Savior. He sacrificed himself to vanquish the Tainted one. King Regis …" Luna is struck by that vision of an omen Regis had written to her about. A demonic Noctis who would kill her… and set Eos afire …

"Perhaps killing the tainted only tainted him in turn. I am not entirely within the circle with those other gods. Either way, when I gazed upon the two of you, I saw the slightest shred of demonic energy that would have toppled everything. And now … it's happened …" Yeul-Etro sounds wistful.

"… And who are you in all this Yeul – I mean, Etro? You and that man were at the gates …"

"Caius Ballad was protector of the Yeuls, who were the Seeresses. They were blessed with my eyes and, simply put, they became the guardians of the dead in the Chaos."

"Seeresses? You mean, like an Oracle?"

"Yes. You can call them that. However, they have fates to die tragically young…" The Goddesses voice trails off, "I myself was the guardian … until I was relieved of my duties in that world."

"You were the patron goddess of Lucis. Etro, the goddess who guides the dead, who made man of her blood …"

"…" The Goddess falls silent, "Bhunivelze is my father. I'm afraid he is my charge now. That is why we must find Lightning. She defeated him once. She can do it again."

Luna falls silence as she digests the information. Unbelievable. In death, she and Noctis may have just condemned their world to destruction by Ardyn once more? Of course, she wasn't going to simply swallow all the supposed Goddess just told her. Nonetheless, she kept quiet.

They return to the small village through the same Threshold they came in. Reynn pushes the door to the bakery open eagerly. The bell hanging in the frame jingles lightly.

"Enna?"

"Oh, welcome back."

Enna sits with another girl at the coffee table. The new stranger has paler white hair than Enna, though it is more straight like Reynn's hair. She's wearing a long, black dress with a hood and thigh-high fishnets with knee high boots. On her head is a small white fox-like creature with a large tail circled by a crown. The two turn to look at the target of Enna's greeting. The girl's grey eyes land on the foreigners.

"Wyn! Tama!" Reynn and Lann run to embrace the two.

"Reynn," Wyn embraces Reynn while Tama and Lann immediately start chatting, "It's good to see you."

"Oh," Reynn notices Wyn's gaze, "They've apparently gotten lost from their own world. That's Luna and Yeul."

"Oh … Pleasure to meet you," Luna nods slightly. Yeul-Etro remains impassive.

"So? What happened?" Enna clears her throat and looks to the twins.

"Oh, well. Lightning had no idea who they were," Lann scratches his head, "Apparently, it was the _wrong_ Lightning."

The fox creature, addressed emphatically as Tama, quips, "Enna! They definitely smell of the-outer worlds! And Yeul - she smells of the-g-"

"Thank you, Tama," Enna cuts off the fox curtly. She looks curiously at Yeul-Etro, who seems not to have heard a single word Tama said, "So … you didn't find what you're looking for."

"Time is of the essence. And we are wasting it here," Yeul says flatly, "We must return to our own world, as soon as possible."

"… Please," Luna adds, a little meekly.

"Hmm, I see."

Enna folds her hands on top of each other, in thought. The twins, Wyn and Tama look to her expectantly.

"The Girl Who Forgot Her Name …" Enna finally murmurs, "We'll have to go see her. And I'll have to use it … The Deus Crystal."

"Wahooo!" Lann exclaims, "You're seriously gonna use it! Now I'm honking excited!"

"Lann!" Reynn elbows his side. She looks to Enna mischievously as her twin cringes, "Sooo, can we come, Enna?"

"Why not?" Enna waves her hand and suddenly the twins have returned to being cubes in her hand. She smiles sweetly, "The more the merrier."

"OH HONKING-"

Enna pockets the cubes. She looks at the two guests who have reverted to their original bodies, "So, shall we be off?"

She looks also to Wyn and Tama, "Tama, I'm afraid we'll need a few lives to conduct this exchange."

"Aww!" The little fox grabs her tail and hugs it close, "Well, as long as it's not _all_ of them …."

Enna smiles mischievously, "Kidding!"

Hauyn smiles as Tama calls Enna a meanie. She looks to Luna and Yeul-Etro, "Where are my manners? I am Hauyn, summoner of the Farnas."

Another summoner? The term was beginning to change in meaning for Luna. Back in Eos, she was considered a summoner, being able to commune with the Astrals and call their presence. But here, she couldn't so much as call her trident, though perhaps that's because it was with Noctis. Enna had used those strange cubes to summon the Twins, but that wasn't anything like calling an Astral.

"This Girl Who Forgot Her Name …"

"Ah, she always has it at the tip of her tongue and loses it. Or so I've heard …" Hauyn smiles reservedly, "There are secrets and mysteries all around her. I've never met her myself, but I've heard she commands the power beyond time and space."

"How interesting …"

"Alright, kiddos," Enna calls to them, "Let's go to the Tearoom."

…

Instead of a Threshold, they stepped through a large white door that seemingly should lead nowhere. However, it actually led them to a dark space, illuminated only in a few places. A little girl in a Lolita dress with gray-white hair in pigtails with two blue butterfly adornments on either side sits alone at a white table. Lying before her are trays and cups and a pot of tea with honey and cream. The other two seats at the table are empty. Luna can't help but notice the gigantic clock to her right.

"Ah!" The Girl jumps at their approach, "It's nice to see you, Enna Kros Alexa-"

"Just Enna," Enna cuts her off, gesturing to the company behind her, "We're in front of some special guests."

"Oh, hello! What a surprise. My name is, um … oh dear …"

"You weren't joking …" Luna whispers to Hauyn on the side. Hauyn only nods silently.

"So you seek a way back home?" The Girl cocks her head to the side, looking at Luna, "Something great lurks in your world, no, your _universe_. Noctis, your beloved … you want to find him?"

Luna flinches slightly. The Girl seemed to be reading her jumbled mind! The Girl looks to taciturn Yeul-Etro and then to Enna.

"She's like you, Ale- I mean, Enna," She catches herself, "I can't hear her dreams."

"Dreams…?" Luna whispers. Perhaps that's how this girl was invading her thoughts? Yeul-Etro was likely immune due to the divinity factor.

"So! I trust you've been keeping the Deus Crystal in good shape! Hm," From her pockets, Enna produces a handful of glimmering shards, "This looks like about enough Arma Gems."

"I should gather so …" The Girl looks apprehensively at the gems, "This is going to be a rather taxing Intervention, seeing as it's not even an Intervention. We're not just fishing for Champions anymore or just injecting them …"

"Well, always bet on the power of Fantasy…" Enna walks over to the large clock and smiles to the two guests, "So! Let's try, shall we?"

"What …?" Luna looks up to the clock face with unease, "Exactly what do you mean? Is this a portal?"

"I do sense an immense energy from the apparatus," Yeul-Etro's eyes flash, "It's not unlike a Crux."

"Enna has been using the Crystal as the means to observe other worlds for a while now. I believe that much of the things we have here …" Hauyn pauses tastefully, "She 'borrowed' from other worlds she saw sifting through the Crystal."

Enna grins, "Guilty as charged."

"The Crystal is able to enter worlds and universes, even timelines, that may not line up with our own world logically. Laws of Time and Space bend to the whims of Fantasy," The Girl puts her hands together over her chest, "We should be able to permanently eject you from here, back to your world."

 _Perhaps that's how she seemed to know of this dress_ , thinks Luna silently.

"May I suggest the coordinates then?" Yeul-Etro asks without really asking permission, more like a command, "Send us to the world where you saw Lightning … Claire Farron."

"Hm, now that's easy said and done. I still remember when I first saw her. I knew at once I wanted her as a Champion."

Enna taps the body of the clock, and the body pops open, revealing a complex machine with crystalline parts. The Arma Gems in Enna's hand glow and pulsate in sync with the Crystal. They fly out of Enna's hand, forming a circular formation in the air, as tall as the clock. Incantations form midair from the shards and open a huge Gate. The portal swirls with blue hues.

"… Once we find Lightning, she will be able to set everything back to normal?" Luna looks to Yeul-Etro, "… And me and Noctis?"

"… If the boy's still alive …" Yeul-Etro looks only into the swirls of the portal, "… He's tainted."

Luna says nothing. Noctis had to be alive. And there was no way he was becoming like the Accursed. They'll find rest together. She's sure of it.

The two step through the glowing portal. Once they disappear, the magic circles and glowing lights and shards are instantly sucked back into the clockwork. The panel slams shut and the clock hands run in all sorts of ways for a few seconds. They finally stop abruptly at the twelve o'clock position and there is silence.

"Tick Tock… Tick Tock …" The Girl turns back to her tea table, "Transaction acknowledged. Overlapping spatial planes for Fabula Universe."

She starts to act as the clock's chime, "Bong … Bong …"

Hauyn and Enna look on as a few blue butterflies, like the ones in The Girl's hair, flutter through the empty space idly.


	3. Chapter 3

"Mmgh… Uhh…"

He could feel sheets on top of him. A mattress under him. He also felt pain. Pain in every part of his aching body. It was a struggle to try and wake up. He'd felt this before. But where? And who was _he_ anyway?

"Shh, I think he's waking!"

"Really? How did you come across this guy again, Sice?"

"Me? It was Ace!"

"He doesn't seem like a student I know…"

"No uniform. Guy showed up outta nowhere burnt to bacon. Prolly' no good…"

He opens his eyes a crack, and instantly regrets it. A brunette, with a blood red scarf, stares at him in great curiosity with dark blue eyes, only centimeters from his face.

"Ah!" She pulls back out of surprise, "He's awake!"

"Deuce, you're too loud!" A boy with light blue eyes and short blonde hair seems flustered. He steps up, "Um, hello. Are you alright?"

"… Uh …"

"Do … Do you have a headache? Pain? You shouldn't move too much. Those were some nasty burns…"

"… Ngh…" Disregarding the warning, the stranger sits up. Arcs of pain send him into spasms, and he doubles over in pain, gritting his teeth and breathing hard.

"Well, let's go Ace. Let the nurse take care of this," A tall, messy blonde with a scarred face and light blue eyes ushers the girl and boy out. He is followed by a girl with white hair in a messy ponytail. She tosses the stranger a queer look before leaving the room empty of visitors.

"Oh, good, they left!"

A woman in a doctor's coat enters. She has long black hair, pinned up in a neat, tight bun and hazel eyes. Looking to the stranger in bed, she clicks her tongue.

"Looks like your bandages need changing now."

The woman pulls off his sheets with a rough hand. With commands not to be disobeyed, she has the stranger sitting quietly as she unwraps the soiled linen bandages that cover most of his body. When peeled away, the skin beneath seems to be healing slowly, but surely. Red, oozing rawness remains on some of the burns. After the body is done changing, she proceeds to change the wrappings on his head, arms and legs.

"You must've been in quite the fire, stranger. Ace told me you were much worse than you are now."

"… Ace?"

"Ah, so you speak. He was the one who bought you in. The one with the short blonde hair. Such a silly boy. Now, almost done …"

The nurse finishes quickly enough. She ushers him back to resting before leaving the room. The stranger, utterly confused and at a loss for everything, feels exhaustion overcome pain and he eases into well-meaning rest.

...

 _It's dark. There is fire burning, scattering grotesque shadows that dance in the firelight. They seem to have smiles and evil looking expressions. A voice calls out to him from seemingly nowhere, pleading and soft:_

" _Noctis … NOCTIS, NO!"_

 _He turns here and there but sees only the sneering shadows encroaching. A familiar name leaps of its own will off his lips:_

" _Luna! LUNA! Where …"_

" _She's neither here nor there, I'm afraid."_

 _A man, robed in black with grey and white trim, a messy head of red-violet hair, and a black wing adorning his left arm, materializes out of nowhere and stands in the midst of the shadows. The figure pulls out a black fedora from nowhere and puts it on his head before looking straight at Noctis again, revealing a pale face with black sclera, gold pupils and black dripping marks running down his face. He smiles mockingly._

" _And why would she? Oracles time and time again have spurned me."_

 _The prince bares his teeth at the despicable former vizier of the Niflheim Empire, "…Ardyn."_

" _Yes. Surprised to see me?"_

" _You're supposed to be gone! The prophecy –"_

" _The prophecy, oh sweet words of the Great Kings, yes. But, how much of it can one actually trust?"_

" _Better them than you!" Noctis summons a spear and points it at Ardyn, ready to charge, "Why are you even here? The Usurper is supposed to be extinguished!"_

" _Indeed. And it is. The specter you view before you is powerless," Ardyn spreads his arms wide, "Yet, the darkness lives. Don't you see?"_

 _The shadows seem to grin. From them come many, many ugly forms of Daemons. They twist and wriggle as they birth from the shadows._

 _Noctis growls, "Why the hell won't you rest in peace!?"_

 _Ardyn seems surprised by the question, "…Well how can I?"_

" _AAAAGHH!"_

 _Noctis charges forth, spear raised. The tip pierces and enters Ardyn's body like a knife through butter. It slides out through his back, and blood gushes out of the wound on both ends. It stains the shaft of the spear and spurts, flecking Noctis's face and hands._

" _Ohh…" Ardyn moans in seeming pain._

 _Noctis, detecting a hint of mockery, twists the spear deeper into the chest wound. More blood spills and dribbles onto the floor. Ardyn's head lifts to face Noctis, but then … it wasn't Ardyn._

 _The face of Lunafreya, teary and soot-stained, looks up to the Prince. Noctis' expression pales as realization of the deed dawns on him. He looks into her blue eyes, red-rimmed with tears, and his hand shakes as he feels blood, her blood, drip down the spear shaft. She coughs, staining her lips crimson, before falling backward. His loosened grip allows her body weight to take the spear with it as she falls to the ground, landing with barely a sound. She lay there, still, with the spear still impaled in her chest. A red blossoms from the wound, staining her white dress and the ground. Her eyes are dull, yielding no response. The last of her tears slide down the side of her face._

 _Noctis' hands shake violently as they flop lifelessly to his side. He can only gaze at her lifeless form lying there. His breath quickens. A scream of absolute despair claws itself up his throat and burns his body from the inside._

 _Around him, the Daemons tear free of the shadows and approach, remaining in a ring around him and the fallen Oracle. Many of them seem to grin, and they bow to him._

" _N-No… NO!" Noctis frantically looks down at his bloodied hands, then to the Daemons bowing, "NO! I … I'm the Savior! The darkness… NO-!"_

 _He feels a burning from the core of his being. Hotter than Ifrit's fire. Distraught, he looks to see a landscape of ash and flame behind the Daemons. The flames leap high and shimmer with a face like a mirror. Reflected in the flame mirror's shine, the prince sees his own eyes, golden and fiery. As he stares in horror, his clothes disintegrate, as though burned from within, revealing his skin that is now scarred with glowing red cracks, as though under the influence of the Ring. However, it felt much more sinister, like something was crawling under his skin …_

 _The grinning Daemons and their ominous shadows start a chant low, which soon rises in volume as their multitudes appear subsequently._

" _ASHES TO LUCII, ASHES TO EOS…"_

" _AAAAAAAAGHHHH!" The Prince feels his skull about ready to split in two._

 _Images. Impulse. They race in his mind like a raging pestilence, unwilling to be quelled. Images of a king, a king's brother, an outcast, cast out to the darkness, fed on by the vultures, propped up as a toy by the people, his people, whom he'd assisted so many a time. Impulse, the impulse to destroy, to weep and cry in despair, in the dark. The impulse to wrest fate from the gods, and dominate it, purge the weak and become strong, strong enough to rival those who dared to condemn him to such a fate. Revenge against the line of the Lucii._

" _No… N…" Noctis feels his voice catch in his throat. It was hopeless. He'd become unclean. Tainted. This future of fire and destruction that awaited him … His brothers were no longer here. Iris … Luna … Father … he was utterly alone._

" _Banishga."_

 _A godsend. Rays of light propel out of the ground, expelling the horrid images. The Daemons howl in madness as they are pierced by the shafts erupting around them. The flames pale in radiance to the light, and the landscape of fire and darkness is swept away by white. Noctis hears the soft growl of Ardyn as the last traces of his nightmare fade in retreat. He looks down. The cracks have turned a silvery grey and stopped glowing. He remained half-naked in this now white space._

"… _Luna? Is… Is that you?" He glances around hopefully. He'd never seen white magic like that before._

" _I'm afraid not."_

 _He turns to the unfamiliar voice. Facing him is a woman in a layered white top and slim flared pants, a little over five feet tall, enshrouded in an enigmatic aura. Her skin is somewhat pale, contrasting with her long black hair which is largely held back with a lavender headband. Her hazel eyes stared into him from behind red rimmed glasses. She casually holds a cigarette-in-a-holder in one gloved hand, lit and smoking._

" _You aren't from around here at all, are you, boy? You rather fit the role of a L'Cie. Who sent you?"_

" _What? L'Cie? What's that? And who are you?"_

 _She takes a drag from her cigarette and blows out a multihued vapor, "I am Arecia... Or what is the memory of her here. Hm, puzzling. You clearly have been touched by a Crystal, no?"_

" _Crystal … You mean the Eos Crystal?" Memories of the stone of legend return to the prince, "Yeah, I'm the Chosen One …"_

" _Strange indeed. I suppose others have decided on similar means as I did… You come from Eos, you said? The name rings a bell. I can't be sure if it was a friend or foe…"_

"… _Look, thanks for saving me and all. Really. But …" Noctis shakes his head in slight bewilderment, "I don't know where I am or what I'm doing here. I need to find someone. Luna. Do you have any idea at all…"_

" _No," Arecia blows out another puff of smoke, colored differently, "I don't care too much for affairs of the others. You must come from a world of magic, I assume. This may be surprising, so I shall elucidate for you as slow as I can. You are here in Orience. It was once a world where Crystals were the subject of wars. However, it is now a simple world without magic or Crystals. Its inhabitants are but the simple folk that populate the world currently."_

 _She tilts her head slightly at him, "You'll stick out like a sore thumb if you use magic, in other words."_

 _Noctis looks to his hands. He wills his engine sword to appear. It obeys and pops into existence in his hand. The familiar blue flecks of magic flutter. The mysterious woman clicks her tongue._

" _None of that please. Orience has seen enough blood at the hands of such things," She taps the holder with her index finger, making ashes fall from the butt of the cigarette, "So tell me, how did you come by to this world?"_

" _I'm from Eos. I'd recently just … met up with my fiancée, Luna. But … at the gates of Etro to the afterlife, we-"_

" _WHAT?!" Arecia jolts at the last statement, "The Gates? You found the gates?! And … yet … you live?"_

" _Uh …" Noctis is slightly taken aback by the reaction, "She's … the watcher of the afterlife… so, after we die, we go to her gate …"_

 _Arecia looks at him with a new interest glimmering in her eyes. Her fingers toy with the holder so the cigarette twirls in little circles, "… after 600,104,971 cycles I failed to find the doors … and yet, you… hehehe…"_

 _She laughs quietly to herself for a few seconds, unnerving Noctis. After the laughter stops, she looks at him with a forlorn smile._

" _It seems it was all in vain, Diva. This world remains anchored to the gods…"_

" _Wh-What are you talking about? Who are you talking to?" Noctis asks, uneasy._

" _You are one chosen by deities, by the Fal'Cie. You are Agito, able to find and approach the doors to Etro's Realm without actually dying. That you stand here, in the Orience without Crystals, is an omen that the Maker … no, the Creator, is returning," Arecia takes a long drag and blows out ashen smoke, "It will be the end of the world as we know it …"_

" _I-I don't get a single thing you're talking about …"_

" _You'll be able to use your magic freely again soon, boy. Until then, I shall pray and consult Gala and Diva … so this world might be saved. But if not," Her eyes train on him with a look of firm conviction, "Promise me you'll protect my children."_

" _What?"_

" _Class Zero. If this world should fall, protect them."_

" _Wait, but who are you exactly? How are you in my dreams? And this world … why can't you protect your children? I don't even know them…"_

 _She looks down at the empty space they float in for a second, impassive almost, "I retreated from this world's fate so they may live lives free from gods. Gala slumbers and Diva is a do-nothing. I took the Crystals away. I can no longer interfere in Orience. My children no longer know me as 'mother.' No one remembers anything about the Orience that was. Thus, I must find another to do as I desire. You, boy, will be my L'Cie."_

" _Look, lady, I don't know-"_

 _Arecia closes the distance between them in a flash. Noctis' eyes widen in surprise. Her face is only inches from his own, though her shorter stature made the movement less intimidating._

" _Calm yourself. As a measure of good will…"_

 _She blows a puff of smoke in his face._

" _Cure."_

 _He coughs. But before he can respond, he whiteness of the space suddenly engulfs his vision, drowning him out. Arecia disappears into the melding white space, smiling._

…

The white of the curtains billowing in the wind greet the prince as he awakes, cured of his fugue.

"…" He sits up. The pain from earlier that was so sudden does not occur despite him expecting it. He feels his wounds ache, but no unbearable pain. It was as if someone'd used a potion on him.

 _Was that all a dream…?_

He shifts, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed and steps onto the cold tiled floor. Two navy blue slippers lie near the foot of the bed. He slips them on. They're a bit too big for him. A bathrobe hangs by a door to his right. He dons it, seeing as he was only wearing pants and bandages.

Hobbling slightly, he quickly regains his coordination and shuffles out the door he recalls the people with the red capes leave through. The nurse seems to be absent and there's not a lot of people out in the corridor. Perfect.

He walks casually out of his room, hoping his balance wouldn't suddenly give. People barely gave him a second glance. He walks out the end of the corridor, arriving to a concourse. Ahead, the corridor continues in a fashion identical with the hall he'd just walked. To his left, a tall threshold opens to a wide expanse of green grass, with a building wall on the far opposing side. On his right, a staircase leads up to a large foyer, though he can't really discern to where it leads. People in various colored scarves and uniform populate this area.

Feeling some wary eyes on him, Noctis makes a break for the wide expanse and comes running out into a field of cut green grass. It is a large but walled area, with buildings encompassing the rectangle. There appears to be a single person in the center. The figure turns to face Noctis as he approaches. Noctis recognizes him to be the tall blonde from earlier, the one with a scarred face. He's holding a thin rod javelin in his right hand. He looks at Noctis with a peeved expression.

"Hey, you're that guy in the infirmary! What're you doin' outta bed? Does the nurse know this?"

"Uhh…" Noctis stammers slightly. A jolt suddenly runs through his mind and he sees this same person, but in a different uniform, wielding a spear. He seems to throw his weight and arrogant attitude around, and others refer to him as …

"Nine … right?"

The blonde seems shocked at the address, "H-hey you know me or something? Well, I mean, heh, I'm … pretty popular on campus. Even if I … can't have Ms. Emina … heh …"

Nine falls silent suddenly, his head hung. Noctis attempts to peer at his face.

"Uh, you ok-"

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Without warning, Nine makes a 180 turn and charges, javelin raised. He tosses it as far as he can towards the other end of the field.

"Ms. Eminaaaaa! Ugh, WHY?!"

With the javelin thrown, his shoulders slump and he begins bawling. Noctis starts to back away, unsure of the unstable youth. He backs into another person.

"Uh," Noctis whirls to apologize, "S-sorry…"

He turns to face a tall blonde with long hair and hard, red eyes. The visual stimulus triggers another jolt. Images. This man, and his two handguns … _King_. Noctis avoids blurting out the name. King looks to him impassively, then walks past him without another glance.

"…Watch it."

Noctis peers over his shoulder just to glance as King comforts Nine. The prince shakes his head. What are these memories? Did that Arecia woman plant them in his head? What were they even for?

Names, coupled with accompanying images of twelve individuals, swim in his head. Ace, Deuce, Trey, Cater, Cinque, Sice, Seven, Eight, Nine, Jack, Queen, and King …

" _My children."_

Noctis places a hand on his forehead to still his swimming brain. The identities came with information that swelled in size gradually. Rubrum, Milites, Lorica, Concordia, nations of Orience … A soft chorus of student's voices in song …

"…Are you okay?"

Noctis snaps out of his daze to look into the eyes of the short-haired blonde from earlier. This was the one the nurse called … Ace.

"Uh … Yeah," Noctis nods, "I'm fine. Thanks. You, uh, found me, I think?"

"Oh, yeah. I found you on the roads at the other side of school. I could swear," Ace laughs a little nervously, "I coulda sworn you fell outta the sky. I-If you want, I can show you. I doubt the janitor's cleaned up the soot marks yet …"

"Uh…," Noctis decides not to be rude, "Thanks."

Ace walks off to the side of the field, with Noctis following. The building that walls the field has archways leading to the open yard of the school, a lawn crisscrossed with white tiled paths speckled with students. A few gazebos dot the terrain, bordering where small artificial ponds run about into a closed mini-canal system that runs below some of the paths, providing for a rather scenic walkway.

"Uh, by the way," Ace strikes up conversation as they walk, "I never got your name."

"Noctis."

"Oh, well, I'm Ace. So, um …" Ace seems to ponder a bit, "You've got me all curious as to where you came from, Noctis. But you, uh, don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"Oh … Thanks…?" Noctis clumsily acknowledges the equally clumsy gesture, "So, ahem… Where did you find me?"

"Oh, just over there…" Ace points to a spot just a little away from their standpoint. Warning indicators are set up around the area, which is blackened, "Wow… It's still smoking…"

Noctis approaches slowly to peer at where Ace points. There is a black ring of soot encircling charred matter on the white stone tiles. The nearby grass seems to be yellowing and singed. Gray smoke rises sluggishly from the char.

Noctis swallows. The memory isn't pleasant. Both being hit head-on by Ifrit's fireball and the nightmare where he caught on fire. He turns to look at Ace.

"I … fell out of the sky?"

"Uhh, I didn't really see … It was all a fast surprise. I was about a foot away, then it was like _FWOOM!_ " Ace makes a brisk swoosh motion with his arms, "There was fire! I'll admit, I guess I didn't see you fall down or crash, but it was pretty sudden … I beat the flames out with the help of some nearby students and I almost took you for dead! Nonetheless, we took you to the nurse posthaste and, well, you were out for only a few hours at most. Actually, you're moving around remarkably well compared to when you first woke up."

"Heh, just lucky, I guess …" Noctis looks thoughtfully down at the scorched ground. What could he tell Ace? Arecia said this world was one without magic, so he'd be the black sheep. But how could he get out of here then? He wishes he'd asked the arch-sorceress.

"Uh, so, Noctis, you hungry? It's about lunchtime."

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sounds good…"

Noctis turns to follow Ace as they turn around, back to Akademeia. A lingering cloud hangs over the prince's head. How in the world was he going to see Luna again?

* * *

Part 1 of 2 FFT0

Sorry for the long wait. Ended up splitting the work a bit.


	4. Chapter 4

Brilliant colors swirl before Luna's eyes. She and Yuel-Etro stand in a tunnel of some sort, made of swirling, chaotic energies. They stand and walk upon a path of light, illuminating ahead through the vortex. Their steps, though in slight haste, make not a sound. The energy around them makes the noises as they pass overhead and under, like the ripples of ocean waves. Such verbal silence unnerves Luna, since she had much left to ask.

"Goddess Etro, tell me," Luna clears her throat, "Am I still … dead?"

The Goddess Seeress is silent for several moments before answering, "…Yes. You and Noctis both."

"Is this … the fate alternate to eternal rest?"

"You died very early, Oracle," Yeul-Etro glances at Lua from the corner of her eye, "I believe you continued to interfere with the living postmortem."

"Well, yes, but … this is… different, no? Worlds as we could never have imagined … and …" Luna places an uneasy hand over her chest, "… is it possible to die again? In this state?"

"… If my father destroys you …" Yeul-Etro looks forward at the path which lay ahead of them with impassive eyes, "… There will be nothing left of you but the mere memories. And even those … he can obliterate them as well."

Luna shudders slightly. With all her heart, she prayed Noctis was far from the turmoil.

"It's … a bit mind-boggling… The Six Astrals were all we knew to be Gods of Eos. Of course, there were also the mysterious beings who worked alongside them, but they allegedly retreated shortly after the Genesis of our world. It was at that time that the Adamantoise came to be, and so forth …" Luna finds herself laughing nervously to still her shaken self, "Perhaps … that was your father? The Creator-"

"Perhaps not," Yeul-Etro cuts her off curtly, "My father secluded himself to sleep a long time ago. Likely it was my brothers Pulse and Lindzei who created the Fal'Cie Eos."

"What? Fal'Cie? I've never …"

"Describe to me the Eos Crystal and the Six, Oracle."

"Uhm, The Crystal is the heart and soul of our star, granted onto the Lucis lineage along with the Ring of the Lucii. The Crystal is capable of choosing appropriate wearers of the ring by bloodline, and grants immeasurable magical power. As for the Six, they aided in creation and endowment of many of humanity's earliest gifts, such as fire. Bahamut, leader of the Six, is said to have bestowed the original powers onto the kings of Lucis and the Oracle…" Luna looks to Yeul-Etro, "So it says in _Cosmogony_."

"The creation of l'Cie, in other words," Yeul-Etro makes a small noise exhaling, as though unamused, "Fal'Cie are as the beings you describe: Supernatural deities that grant powers to humans in exchange for allegiance. They come in many forms, like Crystals, machines, or other biological beings. All Fal'Cie originate from my brothers Pulse and Lindzei, who created all Fal'Cie. Your world, Eos, must have been quite the project."

Luna can only nod, digesting the information in silence. Bhunivelze, Creator, had three children, Etro, Pulse and Lindzei. Pulse and Lindzei created Eos, whereas Etro created man of her blood. This … "Lightning" they seek was supposedly someone who had defeated the Creator himself. Since Ardyn or whatever darkness survived Noctis' assault in the void afterlife, it somehow piggy-backed off Noctis as he and her were about to pass on. It has now found host in the Creator's corpse and resurrected Bhunivelze to destroy the universe… The Oracle shakes her head slightly. The thoughts were all so jarring and incredible.

"But … Why? Why kill the Creator in the first place?"

"You have had very different experiences with divinity than Lightning. You obeyed your gods without fail. She fought against them when they were corrupt. Eos was a merciful fal'Cie, it seems … though not merciful enough to stem the darkness itself…"

"What do you mean? As the Oracle, I am meant to serve the gods. As Seeress, were you not also?"

Yeul-Etro says nothing.

The newfound silence leaves somewhat of a shadow of a doubt over Luna's thoughts. It was puzzling, why this Lightning character chose to vanquish her creator. The gods are supreme, their wish is your command, as the young Oracle had learned from the history of her ancestors. They were servants of divinity. Disobedience not only meant death for them, or worse, but also the possible destruction of their entire world.

But … what _about_ the darkness?

 _Not merciful enough to stem the darkness itself…_

What did Yeul-Etro mean by that?

The swirl of colorful neon energies around them fade into a prominent magenta. This new light comes in the form of panels that line up to wall the sides of the vortex. The path the two walk is suddenly given shape, in the form of metallic, marble like material. Around them, platforms and ruined structures of similar material float about in the vortex. Much of the solid material seems worn and many of the magenta energy panels are flickering like broken lights.

Luna can't help but stare at the new scenery as they pass under a metal ring that outlines the shape of the vortex through which they walk. Ahead, she glimpses a series of arches like that of the architecture from Altissia. This place feels void of energy.

"Do not linger, Oracle," Yeul-Etro calls out to her, a few paces ahead, "This place is but a temporary Crux; a repurposed ruin, if you will."

"What … _was_ this place? I feel such a void, an empty feeling … like a discarded carapace." Luna's heels strike the floor with loud clacks as she moves to catch up to the Seeress.

"It's the skeleton of Orphan's Cradle, what used to house the fal'Cie Orphan. An incredible power indeed used to reside here, but it was riddled with corruption, and killed by Lightning and her comrades."

"This Lightning sounds incredibly powerful, if I must say," Luna murmurs with reserve. One who stood against the wishes of the gods remained somewhat of a taboo in her thoughts.

"Your Noctis would likely be on equal footing, with his Armiger."

Luna accepts the subtle compliment in place of her significant other, "So this place is now just a means of travel?"

"It seems since I got disconnected from this universe, much has happened. I can only assume a great change happened after my death, which severed the world from the usual lanes of travel."

"Your death? But, you … Etro," Luna says apprehensively, "You've died before, making man of your blood. Is that what you speak of?"

"… No."

The Seeress quickens pace having curtly said so, moving several paces ahead of Luna. Luna sighs and hurries to match the child's new speed.

"I apologize my asking so, but-"

"If you apologize, best not to have the event recur then…"

Yeul-Etro's voice trails and her steps halt as approach a small spinning disk of light before them. The white swirls erratically swirl about a blank center, facing the two, where an image of some cityscape may be glimpsed. The image flickers as though unstable. From what she sees, Luna is reminded of the capital Insomnia. She hadn't been there long, nor outside the palace at all really. But the fleeting images when she sat in the limo still resonated.

"… Is this it?"

"… Something's different …" Yeul-Etro's voice is uncertain, "Nonetheless, through it we shall go."

She takes a quick glimpse at the landscape around them, "This place is only temporary after all. It'd be foolish to linger."

With that, Yeul-Etro walks into the portal and vanishes. Luna holds back slightly. At the slightest hint of the portal faltering, she runs in as well. The white disk flickers for a few more moments. Some magenta energy lights burst into sparks, like when a light blows its fuse. A loud groan, like the creaking of metal structure, resounds through the Cradle. Several of the platforms that floated begin to descend and fall into abyss as the energy sustaining the ruins fade. Darkness, clouds like Chaos, encroach onto the dying infrastructure, nearing the portal moments before it makes a pop sound, disappearing from existence. A deep, throaty laughter, sounding distant, echoes faintly, but surely, through the forsaken Cradle as it is swallowed by darkness.

…

Claire felt the tremor run through the café. The lights flickered and the waitress fell behind the counter. Patrons looked up from their coffee. The tremors died as quick as they came. However, looking out at the sidewalk, Claire could see some had stumbled and fallen. A car had unwittingly veered and struck a fire hydrant. The water was pooling into the street.

"… Crazy way to start a morning, amirite?"

"Sorry about that … order up!"

Claire looks back at her black coffee. It was barely ten o'clock. Serah should be at work in the school. Wait, why was she suddenly thinking on her sister? Serah was capable of taking care of herself, more so now that they no longer had to fight. And she'd married that bonehead Snow…

The pink-haired patron sighs and downs her drink. It had cooled so as not to scald. Leaving a small tip, she stands and saunters out onto the street. The scenery had returned to normal. People kept on walking. The water was still pooling. Her heels strike the cement pavement with the same stride and confident rhythm, unchanged from before the New World. The white frock coattails trailed behind, like a wisp, as she weaved to the main concourse in the city center. The next train would be here soon.

If the tremors had affected the traffic in any way, the concourse did not show it. Either that or recovery was quick. Vehicles and pedestrians ran in all the directions possible, a controlled hum of chaos. Along the center strip which separated the two main lanes at the concourse was the landmark plexiglass statue of something that resembled suspended Cocoon, a dormant memory of the unconscious from the time now lost. The monument glistened in the late morning light, a towering ten-foot tall structure.

Claire stands at the sidewalk, waiting to cross with many others. At first, she'd failed to notice it, as the spark was rather insignificant, blurred by the movements of traffic.

The sound of low crackles of electricity in the air, snapping and whirring, turned her and others heads. Right at the base of the Cocoon monument, there was a small rift, like a crack in the space, present.

The sound intensifies and tendrils of energy spark as the rift widens into a large gash in the surrounding space. The tear in space emanated hues of magenta and sparks, evocative of the Cradle where they went to face Orphan… Claire could scarcely believe her eyes. Many vehicles stopped, having glimpsed the phenomena occurring. One inadvertently got into a fender bender with another.

The Savior's eyes widen as out stepped from the rift, none other than the familiar face of the Seeress, followed by an unfamiliar face of an older woman with pale blonde hair.

"… Yeul…?" Claire felt her breath return and aspirate from between her lips.

…

"… This isn't Cocoon… I see. This is the New World."

Those were Etro's first words upon looking out through Yeul's eyes upon the new scenery. People on sidewalks were staring at her and Luna as they emerged from the portal of Orphan's cradle. Vehicles, notably unlike the build on Cocoon, had stopped and the drivers were now also staring. Behind, the rift hummed and gave a final puff before disappearing with a pop.

"… They're all staring at us …" Luna murmurs, slight nervousness evident.

"Hey, you two clowns!" A man in a suit with a loud voice starts walking up to the two with an irate pace, "Take your magician's act elsewhere, you've clogged up the traffic!"

Luna looks to Yeul-Etro a bit helplessly. Yeul-Etro appears not to have heard the man at all, instead looking out at the onlookers impassively.

"Uh, good sir, we're looking for Lightning. The Savior of your world?" Luna asks a bit meekly.

"What are you, nuts? Savior? Go to church."

Yeul-Etro suddenly walks off, taking advantage of the stalled lanes to reach one of the sidewalks.

Luna notices and bows lightly to the suit before following the Goddess. The man stares after the two departing with disbelief.

The Goddess is greeted by a staring crowd at the sidewalk. She pushes to move past the people, solely focused on the familiar pink hair of her Champion.

Luna follows, albeit in a more polite manner. She finds herself and Yeul-Etro standing before a young woman, taller than herself. The stranger has pink hair, bangs brushed to one side, with the wavy end over her right shoulder, striking blue-grey eyes and a very calm face. She wears a white coat over a blouse with silver and grey detail, black gloves, black latex leggings and open toed heels.

"… Lightning Claire Farron," Yeul-Etro says at last, "I require your assistance again, my champion."

Luna looks to the stranger, who's staring at Yeul-Etro with a wide-eyed, unbelieving expression. _So this is Lightning…_

"… Yeul, what are you doing here?" Lightning finds her voice again.

The onlookers, seeing nothing more of such interest, are convinced of the magician's trick and continue to walk on, ignoring the conversation. Traffic resumes as drivers follow in tandem.

"I am Etro, Lightning. And once again, we need you, the Savior."

"Etro… what are you playing at. She was killed," The pink haired woman seemed skeptical at the very least, a gloved hand put to her waist, almost impudently so.

"That is not the most pressing issue here. A new power has revived Bhunivelze. He's clawed himself out of the depths of Chaos," Yeul-Etro's voice shows little urgency, "He's coming to destroy us all."

"… What the hell… You're telling me it never ended…?!" Lightning pauses, stopping her voice from growing any louder. She makes a tsk sound on the side, then looks back to the two, "I'm wide awake, aren't I…"

"It's no lie, Lightning."

Lightning gestures with a nod at Luna, "Who's she?"

Yeul-Etro glances at Luna diminutively from the corner of her eye, "She is one of the first casualties."

Luna bows lightly to Lightning, "I am Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, Oracle of the Gods."

Lightning bats an eye. She responds to the introduction with a rather derisive tone, "I guess connection with the gods didn't do anything for you, huh."

Luna is slightly taken aback by the comment.

Lightning then looks back to the Goddess, "Sorry. But you'll have to find another Savior."

The conversation takes a dive. The nearby commotions of noise are seemingly muffled by their silence.

Yeul-Etro takes a second to speak again, "…What?"

Lightning sighs, "Well, unless you have another power of the Valkyrie to give me…"

She flexes and reflexes her hand, almost testing. Her voice has reluctance and disappointment.

"What do you mean? Did you not… receive and carry the power of god with you here to this world?" Yeul-Etro's voice sounds slightly perturbed now, "It… _you_ should be like a god among humans here…"

"Yeah. Then it waned about a year or so ago. I figured the whole thing was done and over with then. I don't have the power anymore… See? _Firaga_."

The former valkyrie points her hand before her, but nothing happens.

"…Most … unsettling…." Yeul-Etro looks down slightly, muttering, "Is it possible… his awakening might have taken away the power he gave… Because he _knew_ we might come and ask you… Or is it perhaps a property of this new world I miscalculated…"

Lightning looks somewhat frustrated, but it barely shows, "So… I'm no savior anymore."

She puts a hand to her waist, "Not that I don't want to help."

Yeul-Etro sighs, "There has to be a way… you are the only one who ever defeated him after all… I will… think of something for as long as we remain here. I have to. So… please do not refuse us your aid so curtly."

Lightning's eyes widen slightly. The Oracle sounded... desperate. After a bout of silence, she nods and looks at the two, "You guys don't have anywhere to stay right? I'll see if Hope has rooms available in that condo he owns…"

"Condos?" Yeul-Etro blinks.

The rose-pink haired woman's mouth twitches slightly, in the fashion of a near imperceptible smile, as she turned to walk down the street traffic.

"Welcome to the New World."


End file.
